J.J. Abrams wants Lucasfilm to release the originalStar Warstrilogy theatrical cuts.The Rise of Skywalkerdirector is not alone with those feelings.Star Warsfans have wanted Lucasfilm to release the unaltered trilogy for decades now and they have been very vocal about it, though not as vocal as the Snyder Cut team. With that being said, Abrams wants to see what he saw in theaters when he was a kid, not the Maclunkey dialogue or Jabba the Hutt slithering throughA New Hope.
The Rise of Skywalkeropens in theaters next week and J.J. Abrams is out promoting the final installment in the sequel trilogy. Abrams was asked about theoriginal Star Wars trilogytheatrical cuts and admitted he wants them to be released and went as far as to say that he approached Lucasfilm about it. This would be a dream come true for diehard fans, but it doesn’t look like we should hold our breath.J.J. Abramshad this to say.
“I have asked about this, ‘cause who wouldn’t want to see that? But I’ve been told that, for reasons that I quite don’t understand, that that’s not necessarily possible. Which is too bad because that was the thing that I loved. In fact, it’s funny, when we were working onThe Force Awakens, we were talking about this one scene with Vader and the Emperor and we were having this disagreement about what was said, and, in a way it was, like, we both felt crazy. And we realized we were talking about two different versions, because there’s thede-specialized version, which you can see online, someone got me a version, and then there was an official version. There was the original theatrical version and then the version that people see now.”
One has to wonder what exactly those reasons are that J.J. Abrams does not understand. The director knows a thing or two about the movie making process and he has made some pretty successful movies. So what about the originalStar Warstrilogy is so baffling? Have the original theatrical tapes been destroyed or recorded over with newish embellishments? It just seems strange that Abrams doesn’t get it, though it could be for some other reason entirely, like George Lucas having it in a contract.
Disney+would be the ideal place to have the original, unalteredStar Warstrilogy. It really seems like a no-brainer, but it isn’t going to happen. “I guess it’s what George Lucas wanted, and that’s what he did, and so I respect that,” says J.J. Abrams. The director continued by stating, “Although I also feel like there’s something about the original theatrical version that was, for so many people, the thing they loved as it was.”
It’s obviously what George Lucas wanted, but it has gone further than just angeringStar Warsfans. The altering ofA New Hopeis what reportedly has kept the iconic movie out of the Library of Congress. In the end, this is Lucas’ creation and he has the right to do whatever he wants with it, even if that means taking some pretty big risks. The interview with J.J. Abrams was originally conducted by theNow This Twitteraccount.
